HOUSEKEEPING PROFESSIONAL

HOUSEKEEPING PROFESSIONAL Tranng Manual & Workbook LEVEL 1 page no. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1.1 Housekeepng 1.1.1 Health and Hygene 1.1.2 Safety 1.1.3 Safe Workng Envronments 1.1.4 Why do we Clean? 1.1.5 Hygene n the Workplace 1.1.6 Introducton to Personal Hygene 1.1.7 Personal Protectve Equpment 1.1.8 Basc Frst Ad page no. 11 12 13 14 15 1.2 Roles and Responsbltes 1.2.1 A Housekeeper s Role 1.2.2 Your Responsblty as a Professonal 1.2.3 Structure of the Housekeepng Department 1.2.4 The Inducton Form 1.2.5 Work Schedules page no. 19 20 21 22 23 24 1.4. Procedures and Documentaton 1.4.1 Introducton to Admnstraton 1.4.2 Introducng the Day Sheet 1.4.3 Usng the Day Sheet 1.4.4 Room Status Codes 1.4.5 Sgnng-In and Sgnng-Out of Master Keys 1.4.6 Rules for Controllng Keys page no. 25 26 27 28 29 30 1.5 Lason wth other Departments 1.5.1 The Importance of Communcaton 1.5.2 Communcaton Tools 1.5.3 Front Offce 1.5.4 Mantenance 1.5.5 Securty 1.5.6 Food and Beverage 10 1.1.9 Emergences and ther Immedate Treatments page no. 16 1.3 Presentaton and Etquette 1.3.1 Personal Groomng and Hygene 17 1.3.2 Unform 18 1.3.3 Accessores and Body Art

1.1.1 HEALTH AND HYGIENE As the department responsble for the majorty of matters relatng to health, safety and hygene, your department s expected to be the most knowledgeable on the subject. 1) Explan the mportance of cleanlness as t relates to health and hygene at your establshment. What do you understand about the def ntons of health and hygene? Q&A What s health? Health s def ned as the state of beng free from llness or njury. To ensure that no harm or ll health s caused to us or our Guests, we need to adhere to good practces. 2) Lst some examples of unhealthy or unhygenc practces, or thngs that mght spread germs and bactera n your establshment. What s hygene? Hygene s def ned as the condtons conducve to mantanng health and preventng dsease. Good hygene nvolves stoppng the spread of germs and bactera that could make someone sck. If somethng s cleaned properly, t helps to create hygenc condtons that support a person s state of health. As a department, you need to ensure that health and hygene standards are met wthn every part of your daly dutes. 3) How are the followng tems lkely to contrbute to health, hygene and cleanlness at your establshment? Be as descrptve as possble. Cleanlness = good hygene = healthy person Page 2

1.1.2 SAFETY One of the man threats to the safety of both staff and Guests at your establshment s accdental njury. As a member of the housekeepng department, t s your responsblty to ensure that staff and Guests are kept free from accdents and physcal njury. Causes and preventon of accdents 1) Not followng health and safety rules set n place. Two man causes of accdents: 2) Workng n unsafe condtons. 1) Lst three precautons taken at your establshment to ensure the safety of both you and your Guests. 1 2 3 2) Match the hazards on the left wth the precautons or solutons on the rght. Draw a lne between the relevant blocks to ndcate whch hazard belongs wth whch precauton or soluton. 1) Know the rules. How to prevent accdents: 2) Understand how thngs work. 3) Ensure that your workng envronment s safe. A freshly mopped fl oor n the foyer could be slppery. Make sure you know how to use the equpment properly, and make sure that t s swtched off when you leave the room. The vacuum cleaner s plug s pullng away from the cord, exposng the wres. Alert passng Guests and colleagues to the hazard, and make sure the area s cleaned thoroughly. An example of unsafe workng condtons s a laundry room wth a badly wred tumble dryer, carryng a rsk of electrocuton. The key to preventng accdents s understandng what causes them. Accdent: An unfortunate occurence that happens unexpectedly and unntentonally. The steam ron n the laundry s ncredbly hot and potentally hazardous. A Guest drops a glass n a publc area. Use a sgn to alert Guests to the potental hazard. Alert the Mantenance department to f x the problem. Page 3

1.1.3 SAFE WORKING ENVIRONMENTS A safe workng envronment s an envronment free from hazards that could potentally harm someone. Such hazards can be physcal or even mental - for example, stress. 1) Descrbe the relatonshp between health, hygene and safety. What does Hygene + Safety = Health mean to you? Safe workng condtons and practces are mantaned by ensurng that all colleagues are traned n ther lne of work, follow regulatons set by the establshment, and work wth cauton at all tmes. All members of staff must also be famlar wth safety and hygene notces vsble at the back of house. 2) Thnk of three tasks that form part of your daly dutes, and gve an example of how you mght ensure that t s safe before proceedng wth each of the tasks. 1 tp 2 Before dong any task, ask yourself s t safe?. Quckly analyse the task at hand and your surroundngs to dentfy any rsks. By checkng your workng area and your equpment, you can decde whether or not you thnk t s safe. Example: Usng electrcal equpment around splled water s very dangerous. Through askng yourself s t safe, such hazards can be dentf ed and elmnated, ensurng a safe workng envronment. 3 Hygene + Safety = Health Page 4

1.1.4 WHY DO WE CLEAN? Why do we clean? 1 2 3 Guest Remove bactera Prolong the lfe of satsfacton or drt tems and surfaces 1) Lst the three reasons as to why we clean and state why they are of mportance. 1 2 When stayng at a hotel, cleanlness s one of the Guest s major concerns. A clean, hygenc envronment ensures Guest satsfacton. 2) Fll n the blanks wth the lst below. Use only the four most relevant words! Arrvng at a room that s not clean and hygenc mght dscourage a Guest from ever returnng, leavng them wth doubts about your establshment s credblty. complan return dark prolong drty unacceptable stored servce hygene The room and bathroom can become the perfect breedng grounds for bactera and drt. The only way to remove bactera or drt s through thorough cleanng. a) Cleanlness s ncredbly mportant n the hosptalty ndustry, as Guests expect only the best standards of. If the Guest arrves to a room, they wll be less lkely to, and they wll doubt your establshment s credblty. Falure to clean furnture, f xtures, f ttngs and equpment can cause the buldup of drt that wll eventually run these tems. To prolong the lfe of tems and surfaces, equpment must be cleaned after each use and stored correctly. b) Proper cleanng also helps to the lfe of tems and surfaces. Remember that even your equpment needs to be cleaned correctly. Page 5

1.1.5 HYGIENE IN THE WORKPLACE Achevng and mantanng hygenc condtons through cleanng s the bggest responsblty of the housekeepng department. 1) How do each of the three rules help you to create and mantan hygenc condtons? Rules for creatng hygenc condtons: 1) Work n a neat, orderly manner. 2) Allocate equpment to dfferent areas or purposes. 3) Pay attenton to potental breedng grounds for germs and bactera. As germs and bactera thrve n warm and most condtons, tems such as warm and drty water, towels, cloths and sponges provde them wth deal breedng condtons. Hot water used to clean must be changed regularly. Cloths should be cleaned thoroughly, stored correctly and replaced regularly. Follow procedures regardng the handlng of waste, as cuts from razors or broken glass, and prcks and contamnaton from used needles or condoms can all transmt llness and dsease to you and the surfaces you come nto contact wth. 2) Complete the word search puzzle below. Look for the followng words: NEAT GERMS BACTERIA DIRTY TOWEL CLOTH SPONGE Page 6

1.1.6 INTRODUCTION TO PERSONAL HYGIENE 1) What do you do to ensure good personal hygene? Good hygene starts wth you and your body. Mantanng personal hygene means comng to work clean and washed. One of the most mportant practces of hygene s to wash your hands regularly, especally after coughng, sneezng, smokng or touchng somethng that contans germs. These practces ensure that you don t spread germs to anythng else that you touch. If you are feelng sck, especally f you have been feelng sck for a few days, make sure to vst the clnc or a doctor and to stay home from work. Ths gves you tme to recover and stops you from spreadng the sckness to a colleague or Guest. 2) Thnk of some examples of contagous llnesses that are spread through the followng types of contact: a) Contact through ar. b) Contact through lqud. Remember, some llnesses are contagous. Ths means that they can spread to other people who come nto contact wth your germs, ether through: c) Contact through touch. Ar Lqud Touch Page 7

1.1.7 PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT When completng any task that poses a health rsk or rsk of njury, you should be provded wth equpment that protects you. 1) Why s t mportant to read the nstructons on every chemcal or product that you use at your establshment? Examples of personal protectve equpment Work gloves Chemcal-specf c gloves Safety goggles Earmuffs Latex gloves Dust masks or resprators Face sheld Earplug 2) Thnk of a task at your establshment that mght requre the use of each of the followng: Remember: Personal protectve equpment s used to ensure your safety n the workplace by mnmsng the rsk of accdents and njures that you may get from the tasks that you do. Page 8

1.1.8 BASIC FIRST AID Frst ad s the mmedate help that needs to be gven to a sck or njured person untl full medcal treatment becomes avalable. A selecton of materals that provde ths mmedate help can be found n a red, green, or whte bag or box. These boxes are vtally mportant n every establshment and should be present n every operatonal department at your establshment. 1) Look at the frst ad tems below. Can you name them and descrbe the functon of each? Common contents of a frst ad box pankllers roller bandages sterlsed cotton wool thermometer sterlsed eye pads antseptc cream waterproof adhesve dressngs trangular bandages sterlsed dressng eye drops pressure bandages antseptc lqud 2) Lst the places at your establshment where you can fnd a frst ad box n the event of an emergency. Ask your supervsor f you aren t sure. The frst ad box s requred to prevent njury or llness from becomng worse. It s mportant that you know what to do f you, a colleague or a Guest s njured whle on the premses. In the event of an accdent, mmedately phone a desgnated number for such events, or the establshment s frst ad offcer. Page 9

1.1.9 EMERGENCIES AND THEIR IMMEDIATE TREATMENTS 1 2 Burns. The burned area must be cooled down as quckly as possble. Ths can be done by holdng t under cool (not cold) runnng water for 10 to 15 mnutes. If the burn s small, a clean dressng can be placed on the area. Bleedng and cuts. Bleedng and cuts should be gven some form of paddng and pressure. Rase the affected area, makng sure to clean off any drt from the area before applyng a sterle, padded dressng. 1) Thnk of f ve common emergences and descrbe the mmedate treatment requred, should such an emergency occur at your establshment. 1 2 3 4 5 2) Descrbe the symptoms that help you to dentfy when a Guest s sufferng an epleptc f t. 3 Convulsons and epleptc f ts. In the event of a convulson or epleptc f t, you need to act fast and ensure the person s a safe dstance from surroundng objects. Ths person needs to be placed n the recovery poston so that they can breathe properly. Don t try to stop the person from movng, but do try to gude ther movements. Remember that these are very bref and summarsed f rst ad technques to enable you to act mmedately before expert help arrves. Page 10

1.2.1 A HOUSEKEEPER S ROLE Q&A 1) Wrte down a few reasons as to why any hotel or establshment needs housekeepers or a housekeepng department. What s housekeepng? The department that mantans a clean, pleasant and hygenc envronment that ensures Guest satsfacton. As a housekeeper you have a bg role to play n a Guest s experence. It s mportant that you understand how you can contrbute to makng a Guest feel welcome. As a housekeeper, you re not just responsble for provdng clean and hygenc surroundngs for Guests. You play a number of mportant roles at your establshment, and need to be able to antcpate your Guests needs. 2) Match the housekeeper s roles on the left to the approprate examples on the rght. Draw a lne between the relevant blocks to ndcate whch role belongs wth whch example. Actng n a professonal manner. You notce and clean a small smudge on the mrror n a Guest s room. Housekeepers prepare: the Guest room. back of house areas. banquet rooms. laundry. publc areas. meetng rooms. lnen. Keepng rooms clean and germ-free. You assst your colleagues by arrvng at work on tme. A housekeeper s roles: keepng rooms clean and germ-free. showng care n all you do. actng n a professonal manner. beng a team player. keepng Guests safe and njury free. keepng records and perfect order. takng notce of the f ner detals. Takng notce of the f ner detals. Keepng Guests safe and njury free. You make sure not to leave any equpment lyng out where someone mght trp over t. You ensure that your appearance s neat, and you are polte to Guests. Beng a team player. You make sure that you have the rght products and equpment when you clean. Page 11

1.2.2 YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AS A PROFESSIONAL Q&A 1) Why s t mportant to conduct yourself n a professonal manner at all tmes? Lst f ve reasons. What s a professonal? It s someone that stands as an ambassador, or represents the establshment n a good, postve way. Beng a professonal The f rst way n whch you can act as a professonal, s to ensure that your presentaton s perfect and your behavour s correct at all tmes. Conductng yourself n a professonal manner, s one of your bggest responsbltes. Three man ponts to remember: 1) Respect one another n the workplace 2) Leave personal problems at home 3) Don t let personal relatonshps nterfere n the workng envronment 2) Wrte down the essental elements that make you part of a team at your establshment. How do you show your colleagues respect? What strengths do you brng to the team? In what areas could you possbly mprove? What makes you part of a team? Beng on tme. Dong your job and the dutes gven to you. Reportng on tme. Your establshment works to provde every Guest wth an unforgettable stay. To acheve ths, they put together a team, of whch you are an mportant part. Everyone on ths team must work together to ensure that Guests are happy and comfortable. Beng part of a team means work can be done more eff cently, but ths means everyone must help, follow rules and do ther job properly. Page 12

1.2.3 STRUCTURE OF THE HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT Executve housekeeper 1) Draw an organsatonal chart for your establshment s housekeepng department below: Housekeepng supervsors Lnen/Laundry supervsors Room attendants Lnen room attendants Housemen Stewards 2) Wrte down some of the roles and responsbltes of the room and lnen attendants at your establshment. Responsbltes of: The executve housekeeper. Overseeng the cleanng process of the entre establshment. Developng and mplementng standards. Managng and controllng budgets and expenses. Dealng wth large Guest servces or complants. Informng colleagues about procedures and polces. Implementng tranng programmes. The room attendant. Ensures thorough reportng to supervsors. Communcates nformaton regardng ther secton for the day. Oversees the correct use and storage of equpment and chemcals. Ensures that rooms are servced n accordance wth standards. The lnen attendant. Asssts the lnen supervsor n the runnng of the department. Sorts, stores and repars all tems n the lnen room. Ensures that a clean, hygenc lnen room s mantaned at all tmes. Ensures that correct records and flng procedures are mantaned. Page 13

1.2.4 THE INDUCTION FORM Q&A 1) In your own words, explan what the nducton form s. What s an nducton? The process of formally acceptng you nto the role of a housekeeper. The nducton form has a lst of your varous roles and responsbltes that wll need to be explaned to you. The lsts of roles and responsbltes wll dffer dependng on your establshment, but wll typcally nclude thngs such as, unform, sgnng-n and out procedures, and lost property procedures. 2) Lst some of the roles and responsbltes set out n the nducton form at your establshment. Ths form s lkely to be flled out only once, just before you begn workng at the establshment. However, n the event of rule changes, a new nducton form wth slghtly dfferent rules wll be drafted, and you may be requred to read t and re-sgn t. Don t be afrad to ask questons when gong through ths form as t s very mportant that you fully understand what s set out n front of you. Page 14

1.2.5 WORK SCHEDULES A schedule s an outlne of what needs to happen, where t needs to happen and at what tme t needs to happen. A schedule helps to make sure that everythng gets done n an organsed way. 1) Can you thnk of any reasons as to why work schedules are used more often by the publc area cleaners? The type of schedule that you wll be most lkely to make use of n the housekeepng department s called a work schedule. The work schedule makes t easer for you to plan your workng hours and makes sure that everythng gets done at the rght tme. Some cleanng actvtes, such as moppng the fl oors and dustng surfaces, need to be done on a daly bass. Other actvtes wll be completed once a week, or once a month. These wll be noted on the work schedule to remnd you of the last tme these tasks were done. You may be gven a job of the day card. Ths s used to hghlght one job that needs to be gven specal care on that specf c day. It s a good dea to get ths card from your supervsor and keep t wth you to remnd you of the specf c tasks requred for each day of the week. 2) Provde f ve examples of tasks that mght appear on your Job of the Day card. 1 2 3 4 5 Page 15

1.3.1 PERSONAL GROOMING AND HYGIENE Personal groomng s an mportant part of beng a professonal and means makng sure you look neat, tdy and clean at all tmes. If a Guest sees that you have drty f ngernals and greasy har, they wll queston your ablty to clean. As such, t s mportant to ensure that your personal groomng s up to standard. Groomng checklst 1) Lst f ve examples of poor personal groomng habts. 1 2 3 4 5 shower, bathe or wash wash and brush your har 2) Descrbe your mornng routne, wth emphass on groomng and hygene. Are you neglectng anythng mportant? If so, what? brush your teeth wear antpersprant or deodorant don t use perfumes or colognes n excess nals must be short and clean follow establshment standards on make-up 3) Complete the word search puzzle below. Look for the followng words: FACE WASH HAIRBRUSH NAIL CLIPPER SHOWER SPONGE TOOTHPASTE TOOTHBRUSH Page 16

1.3.2 UNIFORM Your unform needs to be clean, roned and fresh so that you postvely represent your establshment. 1) Why s t also mportant that back of house colleagues wear a unform? Your unform Two vtal purposes of a unform: 1) Your unform makes t easy for the Guest to dentfy you and see that you are a part of the housekeepng team. 2) It s a vsual representaton of the establshment s brand. A recognsed unform scheme appears neat, professonal and smart. 2) Explan why each of the followng tems may not be approprate or practcal as part of your housekeepng unform: Your unform must: be fresh and clean. f t you properly. be roned or pressed. not contan any holes or tears. Before startng your shft, ask yourself these questons whle lookng n the mrror: Is my unform clean and fresh? Is t roned? Is the collar turned down fl at? Are all the buttons buttoned up? Am I wearng a belt that s the same colour as my shoes? Are the hems of my unform the correct length, as well as neat? Are my stockngs/socks the correct colour? Are my shoes to the correct standard? Is my name badge n the correct place? Page 17

1.3.3 ACCESSORIES AND BODY ART Every establshment has dfferent standards and rules when t comes to jewellery and accessores. However, there are a few general standards that wll apply at every establshment to ensure professonalsm. The general standards Watches: The style of your watch should be smple and plan wth a neutral colour. Rngs: Try to wear only slver or gold rngs. These should be lmted to only a weddng band. Chans and necklaces: Chans should be kept thn and of a smple style. Your chan should be tucked away n your unform. Earrngs: Lades can wear small, smple studs free of loose, danglng peces n ther earlobes only. Men may not wear earrngs. Har accessores: Har accessores must be smple, professonal and kept to a sutable mnmum. Headscarves: Headscarves must be clean, roned and ted neatly accordng to your establshment s standards. Tattoos: Tattoos should never be vsble to your Guests and must be covered wth make-up, band-ads, sleeves or pants. 1) Are the followng tems approprate or napproprate to wear at work? Mark wth a tck. Approprate Inapproprate Approprate Inapproprate Approprate Inapproprate Approprate Inapproprate Approprate Inapproprate Approprate Inapproprate Page 18

1.4.1 INTRODUCTION TO ADMINISTRATION In every establshment there are procedures set n place to make general operatons run smoothly. These procedures are recorded usng documentaton, or paperwork that needs to be f lled out. Ths s called admnstraton and t s one of your daly responsbltes. The reason for recordng all of ths nformaton on paper s so that there s a wrtten document to refer to after you have done t. Ths allows you to remember what was done, who dd t and when t was done. 1) Lst a few reasons as to why we use the stores regster lst. Wrtten documents The day sheet: Ths form gves you all the nformaton on the rooms you need to servce. The stores regster: Ths s a lst contanng all of the amentes, equpment and chemcals that you have n your stores. 2) On your dutes you notce a faulty fl ush on the tolet n one of the Guest rooms. Descrbe the procedure you wll follow to address ths ssue. The lnen check sheet: Ths form records what tems are taken from the lnen store or laundry room. The lost property slp: Ths pece of paper s f lled n f you f nd any tems that Guests have left behnd, or lost. The mantenance log sheet: Ths s used to record any thngs you see n the rooms that are damaged or broken. 3) Descrbe the procedure for dealng wth lost property found n the room after the Guest has checked-out. Page 19

1.4.2 INTRODUCING THE DAY SHEET The day sheet, also called the allocaton paper, has nformaton on the rooms you need to clean, as well as addtonal nformaton where necessary. You wll also use the day sheet to note bts of nformaton that you dscover durng the day, such as a Guest s specal requests or preferences. 1) The day sheet contans space for addtonal comments. Can you thnk of three examples of nformaton that mght need to be recorded n ths space? The nformaton on a day sheet a) The day sheet wll contan the date and your name. b) It tells you the room number and the Guest s name. c) It wll nclude the bed type, lettng you know f t s a sngle, twn or kng room. 2) Why s t mportant that nobody other than your supervsor s allowed access to your day sheet? d) The day sheet also tells us the status of the room. e) The day sheet mght nclude the tme n and tme out. Ths gves nsght nto how long certan rooms and bed types take to complete. f) Your day sheet wll also have space for addtonal comments. Ths wll nclude any addtonal nformaton that wll help when handng over your rooms at the end of the day. 3) Why s the tme n/tme out secton of your day sheet so useful? Page 20

1.4.3 USING THE DAY SHEET 1) Descrbe how the rooms on your day sheet are dvded up. The rooms on your day sheet wll be dvded n certan ways, ether nto sectons or nto stay-over rooms and departure rooms. Regardless of how the rooms are splt up, t s mportant to work systematcally. Workng systematcally means gong to each room as lsted on your day sheet and markng them off as you work through the lst. In the event of a do not dsturb sgn, you need to note on your sheet that ths s a DND room and return later. The day sheet s also used to keep track of specal touches. For example, f you notce a Guest s makng use of exercse equpment n ther room, you mght place extra towels n ther room for use whle exercsng. Wrtng ths on the day sheet remnds you of what room needs what, and ensures that the Guest receves the same standard of servce and attenton to detal each tme. 2) Can you thnk of two reasons why t s so mportant to make a note of DND rooms on your day sheet? 3) Can you thnk of three examples of how you mght talor for Guests whle workng through your day sheet? 1 2 3 Remember, wrte as neatly as possble on your day sheet, as your supervsor may need to look at t when you are not there. An untdy day sheet s not professonal. Page 21

1.4.4 ROOM STATUS CODES As a member of the housekeepng department, you wll come across dfferent room statuses. These are used as a quck way for everyone to dentfy what the status of a room s wthout a long explanaton. 1) You notce that an ar condtoner s not workng n a vacant clean room (VC). You nform the mantenance department of ths ssue. What status s the room now lkely to be gven untl the ssue s resolved? Why? Room Status Codes OR - Occuped Ready. The Guest can check nto a new room that has been cleaned and checked. OC - Occuped Clean. The Guest s stayng another nght and ther room has been cleaned. OCI - Occuped Clean and Inspected. The room has been cleaned and nspected by the supervsor. OD - Occuped Drty. Guest s checked n but room has not been cleaned. OOS - Out of Servce. The room s out of servce. OOO - Out of Order. The room cannot be sold, usually due to a mantenance problem. VD - Vacant Drty. The Guest has checked-out and the room s ready to be cleaned. VC or VCR - Vacant Clean or Vacant Clean and Ready. The room has been cleaned but has not yet been nspected by a supervsor. VCI - Vacant Clean and Inspected. Ths room s clean and has been nspected. DND - Do Not Dsturb. The Guest has put ther do not dsturb sgn up and must not be unnecessarly dsturbed. 2) Fll n the mssng letters for the followng room status codes, and then wrte the code out n full. The f rst one has been done for you as an example. OC OC_ V_I V_R D_D O_S O_O Occuped Clean 3) Wrte down any specal codes pertanng to VIP statuses and specal requests you may be aware of. Page 22

1.4.5 SIGNING-IN AND SIGNING-OUT OF MASTER KEYS Keys, cards, tags or codes are all used n the housekeepng department to get nto the rooms you need to servce. They are also used to enter areas whch hold mportant equpment, chemcals and lnen. 1) Who at your establshment s permtted to use the grand master or hotel master key? Dfferent types of keys The grand master or hotel master key opens all doors n the entre establshment. The master key opens all rooms and housekeepng storerooms at your establshment. The sub-master key, secton master key or floor master key. These open all the rooms n a specfc secton or floor. The room key opens only one door and s used by the Guest. 2) Fll n the mssng words usng the lst below. Use only the most relevant words! housekeeper secton manager hotel room establshment Guest floor a) The grand master key s also known as the master key, and opens every door n the establshment. b) The master key opens all the rooms on a specfc floor, whereas When you receve or return a key you need to sgn for t wth your name and the number of the key. Ths s to ensure that f anythng goes wrong or a key goes mssng, the person that sgned for t s responsble. In addton, ths allows your supervsor to check who went nto each room and when. the key only opens one door and s used by the. Page 23

1.4.6 RULES FOR CONTROLLING KEYS 1) Lst three reasons as to why you should never leave your key unattended. For safety reasons, always keep your key on you whlst you work. Leavng your key unattended makes t possble for someone else to get your key and enter a Guest s room, puttng the Guest and ther property at rsk. Never let anyone, ncludng colleagues, borrow your key. If a colleague uses your key to enter a room and somethng bad happens durng ths tme, t s your name on the key. Ask your supervsor f your moble phone can deactvate a magnetc key card. If so, try to ensure that ths does not happen as t s an nconvenence for Front Off ce to have to cut new keys. Never leave the property wth your key. The reason for ths s so that your card s not lost or stolen, placng both the Guest s and the establshment s property at rsk. 1 2 3 2) Why s t mportant to have strct rules at your establshment regardng keys? Remember, keys are very mportant for securty at the establshment. Followng the rght procedures s a bg part of keepng everyone at your establshment safe. Page 24

1.5.1 THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION 10 rules for communcaton 1) In your own words, descrbe what communcaton s. 1 Speak up. Wthout shoutng, say what you wsh to say loud enough to be heard. 6 Be organsed and follow up. You need to be sure the nformaton gets to the other person effectvely. 2 Be clear. Keep the message smple. Don t ramble. 7 Lsten actvely. If you fal to lsten correctly, you are lkely to end up wth ncorrect nformaton. 3 4 Avod um and err. Slow down and thnk before you speak. Be polte and patent. If you are nterruptng others you wll not get your pont across. 8 9 Don t assume. If you ddn t hear somethng properly, ask the other person to repeat t. Understand body language. A lot of nformaton s communcated through body language. 2) In the squares below, draw or explan how the followng emotons would be communcated n body language. 5 Get ther attenton. Make eye contact and make sure the other person s lstenng. 10 Gve remnders. Check n wth the other person to ensure that they understood you. confused defensve excted and eager Page 25

1.5.2 COMMUNICATION TOOLS As you wll be movng around your establshment throughout the day, you wll need to communcate wth the rest of your team usng one of the communcaton tools avalable to you. 1) At your establshment, what communcaton tool s most commonly used by the housekeepng department? Dfferent communcaton tools the televson remote the telephone on the floor cordless phone rado Whether dealng wth Guests or colleagues, t s mportant to communcate nformaton effcently and professonally. Telephone and rado etquette must be mantaned at all tmes. Ths ncludes keepng your voce and rngtones to a mnmum so as not to dsturb Guests. Communcatng on-the-go s a vtal part of your job. An example of ths s when a room attendant notfes ther supervsor that a room s complete, the supervsor can nform Front Offce that the room s now ready for Guests. 2) Can you thnk of fve examples of when you would need to communcate wth other departments durng your daly dutes and the specfc tool used to communcate wth them? 1 2 3 4 5 Remember, you are only permtted to use the telephone n an occuped room n the event of an emergency. Page 26

1.5.3 FRONT OFFICE The constant exchange of nformaton between the Front Off ce and the housekeepng department s vtal n provdng Guests wth clean, avalable and comfortable rooms. 1) Complete the crossword puzzle. Use the text below to help you f nd the solutons! What nformaton does housekeepng need to gve? Informaton on when rooms are ready. Informaton on any confuson or errors over a room beng occuped or not. Informaton on Guest complants or questons. Informaton on any suspcous behavour seen at the establshment. Informaton on any addtonal charges that need to be placed on the Guest s bll. What nformaton does housekeepng need to receve? Informaton on the day sheet, detalng the status of rooms and names of Guests. Informaton on the check-out statuses of all the rooms. Informaton on extended departure dates. Informaton on any room changes. Informaton on any early check-ns so as to ensure these rooms are the f rst servced. The Housekeepng department and Front Off ce must be n constant [8 ACROSS] n order to provde Guests wth clean, avalable and [2 DOWN] rooms. Housekeepng should let the Front Off ce know when rooms are [7 ACROSS], any Guest [2 ACROSS], or any extra [8 DOWN] to be placed on the Guest s bll. Housekeepng should also report any [4 DOWN] behavour to the Front Off ce. The Front Off ce needs to provde Housekeepng wth a [6 DOWN] day sheet, as well as nformaton regardng [1 DOWN] check-ns, [5 DOWN] stays, and the check-out [3 DOWN] of each room. Page 27

1.5.4 MAINTENANCE As a member of the housekeepng department, the possblty of f ndng problems that requre mantenance s hgh. Specf c detals of such problems need to be communcated to the mantenance department. When dealng wth bgger problems, the f rst rule s to never try to f x t by yourself. Instead, call the mantenance department so that they can assst you as soon as possble. 1) Fnd a problem 2) Identfy the problem 3) Accurately report the problem The correct way to report problems 4) Mantenance to let housekeepng know that the problem s f xed 1) Lst f ve possble problems that you mght encounter on your daly dutes that need to be reported to the mantenance department mmedately. 1 2 3 4 5 2) Put the followng steps nto the correct order for reportng a problem. Draw a lne between the blocks to ndcate the order of the steps. You check to see that the shower door closes properly. 5) Return to the room to check that everythng s n order 1 2 You report the problem to the Mantenance department. To alert mantenance about problems a room mght have from a Guest s pont of vew, some establshments place a mantenance card n ther rooms. If the card has been f lled out durng a Guest s stay then the card must be passed on to mantenance as soon as possble. Remember, wth any problem found by a Guest, a sncere apology needs to be offered. 3 4 5 You notce that the shower door n a Guest s room doesn t close properly. The Mantenance department should alert you that the shower door s f xed. You dentfy that the cause of the problem s a loose hnge on the shower door. Page 28

1.5.5 SECURITY 1) Can you thnk of f ve possble examples of suspcous Guest behavour that needs to be communcated to securty? Members of the housekeepng department are sometmes faced wth suspcous behavour from Guests. If at any pont you feel scared or nervous, or suspect somethng strange, report the ncdent and call securty mmedately. As the housekeepng department s also sometmes responsble for theft by colleagues themselves, you must also report any nternal suspcous behavour. If you are aware of any of your colleagues stealng or commttng any other llegal acts at work, you need to report them to securty and your management. 2) Imagne you are on your establshment s securty team. Wrte down what knd of nformaton you need to have communcated to you about a suspcous Guest n order to provde effectve support. Havng an honest and open relatonshp between your department and the securty department helps to ensure that no one s tempted to commt llegal acts at your establshment. Page 29

1.5.6 FOOD AND BEVERAGE Effectve communcaton between the housekeepng department and the food and beverage department s vtal to the smooth runnng of your establshment. 1) How do you understand the relatonshp between the food and beverage department and the housekeepng department? How do these departments communcate n your establshment? What the food and beverage department needs from the housekeepng department 1 2 3 4 Clean, roned lnen: The laundry room or lnen store needs to provde clean lnen for the dnng areas. It s the food and beverage department s responsblty to communcate ths need n advance so that the housekeepng department s prepared. Clean servce areas and facltes: Housekeepng needs to ensure there s a publc area cleaner that cleans and prepares the dnng facltes. Removal of n-room dnng trolleys: The room attendant needs to nform the food and beverage department of any n-room dnng trolleys found n the rooms, outsde the rooms or on the servce landngs. Eff cent communcaton between departments: Communcaton between the two departments s essental. Ths can be a call each mornng from one department to the other or a colleague from each department attendng the other department s early mornng meetngs. 2) Ask your manager or supervsor how much table lnen s used each day n the dnng area. Make a lst below of how much of each tem the housekeepng department needs to prepare for each meal servce on the average day. Breakfast servce Number of Underlays: Number of Overlays: Number of Servettes: Any extra lnen needed: Lunch Servce Number of Underlays: Number of Overlays: Number of Servettes: Any extra lnen needed: Dnner Servce Number of Underlays: Number of Overlays: Number of Servettes: Any extra lnen needed: Page 30